30 April 2013

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
has lost 273 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of
2013. Of the rhinos poached, 201 rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park, 21 in North West, 19 in KwaZulu-Natal, 19 in Limpopo and 13 in
Mpumalanga.
A total of 83 people have been arrested since the beginning of the year for rhino poaching and related activities.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is urging members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching
or any tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.

The national airline of Namibia, Air Namibia, has announced the planned introduction of passenger and cargo services between Harare (Zimbabwe) and Lusaka (Zambia) using its Embraer ERJ 135 regional jets. From 01 May 2013 the airline will initially operate four weekly flights between the two destinations.

29 April 2013

Every year between June and November, the coastline between Cape Town and Hermanus is becoming one of the best land-based whale watching spots of the world. During those five to max. six month Southern Right Whales are migrating from their icy feeding grounds off Antarctica to warmer climates off South Africa to play and breed in the sheltered bays of the Western Cape coast and to nurse their newborn calves.

update (06 June 2014): According to South African National Parks (SANParks), the three lion introduced into Mountain Zebra National Park in the Eastern Cape in April 2013 have settled down well in their new home. After their release, the two male lion (brothers) were mostly seen together, while the lioness has been exploring the Mountain Zebra National Park on her own most of the time and only occasionally meeting up with them. Monitoring has also shown that cheetah tended to avoid areas where lion roamed. Although the two species had encountered one another, there appears to have been no major incidents yet, with the cheetah fleeing from the lion when conflict arose.

The Mountain Zebra National Park in the Eastern Cape is now home to three lions. The lions, one female and two males, are the first lions first free-roaming lions in the area after an absence of over 130 years. They are the third predator species in the Mountain Zebra National Park - cheetahs got already introduced in 2007 and brown hyenas in 2008. The lions are collared so that the management of the National Park can monitor them in the first few months or years after release and so that rangers and researchers can observe what habitats they use and which species they prey on.

Mountain Zebra National Park Manager, Megan Taplin, says the decision to introduce lion into the Park was mainly for biodiversity reasons. "Lions would have occurred here historically and it is SANParks policy to reintroduce the wildlife species which would have occurred in an area before hunting or habitat loss forced them to local extinction in earlier centuries. They will also occupy the niche of large predator in the ecosystem, keeping the numbers of larger herbivores in the Park in check," said Taplin. (via SANParks)

25 April 2013

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
has lost 249 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of
2013. Of the rhinos poached, 180 rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park, 21 in North West, 18 in KwaZulu-Natal, 17 in Limpopo and 13 in
Mpumalanga.
A total of 78 people have been arrested since the beginning of the year for rhino poaching and related activities.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is urging members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching
or any tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.

update (13 Jan 2014): The guys from the Uganda Skateboard Union have uploaded a new video abou skateboarding in Kampala. Kudos & enjoy!

We featured a couple of skateboarding videos in the blog over the last year, but, except for one video of the adidas South Africa skateboard team in Mozambique's capital Maputo, all films were about skatebording in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Knowing that there are skaters all over Africa, we searched the web and found this great video of the Uganda Skateboarding Union and their "Park Days" at the Kitintale Skatepark in Kampala, the first ever skateboard ramp in Uganda. Enjoy & kudos Peter, Douglas, John, Nico, Ken, Trevor, Morris, Gilbert, Titi & David and all others! btw - checkout the Uganda Skateboard Union’sblog and Facebook page and keep up on their work and donate to the cause.

Good news for Jeffrey's Bay and the surfing community in South Africa. Billabong South Africa and the JBU Surf Club from Jeffrey's Bay have teamed up to organise the first "Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing". The surfing event will take place at Supertubes in Jeffrey's Bay from 09 - 13 July 2013 and will also anchor an extreme sports festival that will run in town and environs during a one week period. The "Jeffreys Bay Open Of Surfing" will be presented as a Specialty Surfing Event, with an entry field of 64 surfers. There will also be a limited entry girls division and possibly secondary divisions to run concurrently within the main surfing event

23 April 2013

If you are planning to travel along the N2 between Kokstad and Harding on your way to eg Port Shepstone, Margate or the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, keep in mind that roadworks are underway between the two town. The construction of the Stafford’s Post Interchange (kilometer mark 44.30 on the N2 section 21) commenced on 19 April 2013 and will last until December 2014. The speed limit through the construction zones is reduced to 60km/h and traffic is accommodated on the existing carriageway and temporary bypasses or deviations with STOP/GO traffic accommodation towards the latter part of the construction. Safe travels!

19 April 2013

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
has lost 232 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of
2013. Of the rhinos poached, 167 rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park, 21 in North West, 18 in KwaZulu-Natal, 16 in Limpopo and 10 in
Mpumalanga.
A total of 66 people have been arrested since the beginning of the year for rhino poaching and related activities.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is urging members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching
or any tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.

update (22 April 2013): Tickets issued before 01 May 2013 will have the old baggage scheme or policy. Tickets issued with the travel date on or after 01 May 2013 date will have the new baggage policy.

Namibia's flag carrier, Air Namibia, is set to introduce the piece baggage concept on its flights. Effective from 01 May 2013, economy-class passengers on flights to Frankfurt (Germany), on regional flights, as well as on domestic flights will be allowed one piece of checked baggage weighing 23kg. Passengers travelling to and from Johannesburg (South Africa), Accra (Ghana) and Lagos (Nigeria) will be allowed two pieces of checked luggage in economy class at 23kg each. Travellers will be allowed one piece of hand luggage at max. 10kg (Size: 55x38x20cm) plus one laptop on all flights in economy class.
Business class passengers on flights to Frankfurt (Germany), on regional flights, as well as on domestic flights will be allowed two pieces of checked luggage, each weighing 32kg. Travellers will be allowed two pieces of hand luggage at max. 10kg each (Size: 55x38x20cm) plus one laptop.

The 105 ha Green Point Park, previously a dysfunctional public open space, is one of the new highlights of Cape Town. The urban park, located close to the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point, is linking the city, the Waterfront and the Atlantic Seaboard to each other. Now that winter is approaching in Cape Town, the Green Point Park has instituted its winter operating hours. The new opening hours are daily from 07:00 to 18:00 (15 April - 30 Sept). The summer opening hours of 06:00 to 20:30 will resume on 01 October 2013, taking into account the longer summer days. The park management will use the winter month for some essential maintenance and upgrades to the gardens and park equipment, which will not affect park users.

Green Point Park opened to the public at the end of 2010 and features a Biodiversity Garden, children's play park, outdoor gym area, amphitheatre, a network of pathways, shade structures and recreational areas. The new labyrinth, situated near the gate closest to the Mouille Point lighthouse, is now open to the public and is in use.
Entry to the Green Point Park is free.

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda's semi-autonomous government agency that conserves and manages the country’s wildlife, has released nine new videos (they are acutally more slide shows) about its National Parks. Uganda is known to be the prime bird watching destination in Africa with over 1,000 species of birds – several of which are found nowhere else on the planet. The country is also home to 13 types of primates including over half of the world’s endangered mountain gorillas, as well as to our closest relative – the chimpanzee.

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Uganda's semi-autonomous government agency that conserves and manages the country’s wildlife, has released a new promotional video (it is acutally more a slide show) about Queen Elizabeth National Park. Uganda's most popular and most-visited tourist destination is located about 380 kilometres (by road) southwest of Kampala. Queen Elizabeth National Park, covering an estimated approx. 2000km², is home to 95 species of mammal, to about 600 species of birds and is famous for its volcanic features.

The Freedom Park in Pretoria will see the opening of the new //hapo museum, the last phase of the monument complex, on 27 April 2013 22 April 2013. //hapo, a Khoi word meaning "a dream", showcases South Africa’s rich and colourful history in an interactive manner. It covers 3.6 billion years, from creation to the issues of reconciliation and nation building that the country faces today. According to Freedom Park CEO, Fana Jiyane, the museum transports visitors from mere spectators to active participants, thus creating a sense of awe and wonder in Southern African history.

The Freedom Park is open 7 days a week and on public holidays (except for Good Friday & Christmas Day). The entrance fee is currently (17 April 2013) R45 for adults (16 years +) and R25 for children (from 3 years) and pensioners. Guided tours are available daily at 09am, 12pm & 03pm. Self-guided tours are also possible.

The SKYTRAX World Airport Awards™ are based on 12.1 million survey questionnaires completed by 108 different nationalities of airline customers during the nine month survey period in 2012 and 2013, covering more than 395 airports worldwide. The survey evaluates the total passenger experience across 39 different airport service and product features, from arrival at an airport, through transit and departure processes to the boarding gate. Operating since 1999, the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards™ is held in highest esteem for its clarity of process and rigorously applied rules of complete independence.